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The renewable fuels sector is touting "a splash of new refining projects, and steel in the ground," writes Jim Lane. Renewable fuels developers announced four major development projects in low-cost enzymes and in road and aviation fuels after "a year of dire headlines in government spending, renewable fuel mandates and so on," Lane writes.

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Nuclear power is the only option for Jordan because using heavy fuel oil for electricity is costing the kingdom a lot of money, officials say. "The project is necessary for the government of Jordan. We cannot keep paying these high energy bills or being dependent on the fluctuation of the fossil fuel pricing. So this is really a protection for the future and for the future generations," said Kamal Araj, deputy head of the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission. The kingdom hopes to have a working plant by 2022.

The Department of Energy has issued a $2.5 million grant for a two-year project by Novozymes and partner MBI aimed at identifying more cost-effective enzymes for the conversion of corn stover into fuel. Under the "SynTec" project, the companies will test for the most efficient enzymes using pretreated agricultural waste.

Joule Unlimited's pathway to biofuels development is an example of a trend in the industry to move away from an integrated-biorefinery approach toward an integrated-bioengine method, Jim Lane writes. Joule's development of a system to allow organisms to yield fuels with the help of light could allow the company to create a wide range of products.

Jim Lane profiles Cellulose Sciences International, American Science and Technology, Incitor, Bioalgene, Cool Planet Biofuels and Mercurius Biofuels in the second part of a look at promising, early-stage biotechs. Among the technologies they are developing are a method of upgrading bio-oil to high quality carbohydrate chains, the use of power plant emissions to speed the growth of algae, and a method of creating blend-ready fuel from biomass.

The Obama administration will release a report today calling for the rapid commercial development of switchgrass and other biofuel crops. Renewable Fuels Association President Bob Dinneen saluted the initiative, saying, "A more coordinated effort from federal agencies, together with the continuation of sound biofuels policies, such as extending existing incentives, will go a long way toward meeting and exceeding America's renewable-fuel potential."